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Championship | Gameweek 45
Apr 30, 2022 at 3pm UK
Bloomfield Road
DL
Blackpool
0 - 2
Derby

Connolly (81')
FT(HT: 0-0)
Ebiowei (73'), Cashin (82')
Davies (84'), Ebosele (88')

Preview: Blackpool vs. Derby County - prediction, team news, lineups

:Headline: Preview: Blackpool vs. Derby County - prediction, team news, lineups:
Sports Mole previews Saturday's Championship clash between Blackpool and Derby County, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Sports Mole

Blackpool play host to Derby County on Saturday afternoon aware that claiming another victory at Bloomfield Road could take them into the top half of the Championship standings.

Meanwhile, the already-relegated Rams head into this contest playing for just pride and looking to avoid finishing in bottom position of the table.


Match preview

Whatever happens during the final two matches of the season, Blackpool will be delighted with their efforts, the pre-season relegation favourites already guaranteed a top-16 position.

Nevertheless, Neil Critchley's side only sit three points adrift of 10th spot, and that will remain the motivation heading into games with Derby and Peterborough United.

As a result of the scrap higher up the table, recognition for Blackpool's results has been minimal, but reaching the 60-point mark at this stage is one of the most notable achievements in the EFL this campaign.

Blackpool also look determined to end with a flourish, posting seven points from their last three fixtures with the most recent of their nine goals during that period coming in Tuesday's 2-0 win at Barnsley.

In Owen Dale and Oliver Casey, the goals came from unlikely sources, and both players will want to make a further impact in their respective positions with next season's squad in mind.

From Derby's perspective, their season has the potential to peter out now that an intense fight to retain their Championship status has ended in failure.

Wayne Rooney would have had every expectation that his Rams squad would have continued to perform to their best level when Bristol City were the visitors to Pride Park last weekend.

However, the East Midlands outfit were defeated 3-1 by one of the division's under-performing sides, highlighting that thoughts may have already turned to 2022-23.

On a human level, that is perfectly understandable, particularly when a takeover is still yet to be made official, but Rooney will demand at least one positive result from the game on Saturday or at home to Cardiff City next weekend to provide some optimism for the future.

Blackpool Championship form:
  • L
  • D
  • L
  • W
  • D
  • W

Derby County Championship form:
  • D
  • W
  • L
  • W
  • L
  • L

Team News

Providing that he suffered no ill-effects to a rare 84 minutes on the pitch, Casey should retain his place in the centre of the Blackpool defence.

CJ Hamilton and Jerry Yates are both pushing for recalls to the side, but Critchley could be prepared to stick with the same starting lineup.

Derby will remain without Tom Lawrence, who serves the second of a two-game suspension for his dismissal at Queens Park Rangers.

While Rooney will naturally be looking ahead to next season, changes to his Derby XI are a possibility with Luke Plange potentially getting the nod ahead of Bartosz Cybulski in attack.

Louie Sibley may replace Louie Watson on the left-hand side of midfield, while youngster Eiran Cashin could return at centre-back after being handed a rest for the Bristol City game.

Blackpool possible starting lineup:
Maxwell; Connolly, Ekpiteta, Casey, Husband; Dale, Virtue, Dougall, Kirk; Beesley, Lavery

Derby County possible starting lineup:
Allsop; Byrne, Cashin, Davies, Forsyth; Thompson, Bird; Ebiowei, Morrison, Sibley; Plange


We say: Blackpool 2-1 Derby County

Given Derby's abysmal away record, Blackpool will fancy their chances of running riot at the weekend. While that may not materialise, we still expect the Tangerines to claim all three points, potentially benefitting from a fast start.



Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting under 3.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Under 3.5:curl



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